“You’re just as bad as my man,” she grinned then placed the tray down at another table before sliding into the booth with her.
Katherine opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, wanting to protest but not sure how she could say anything to the no-nonsense woman.
“You don’t mind me joining you, do you? I just need to rest my feet for a bit. Can you believe I’m only three months along and already my ankles have disappeared? I swear there’s more than one in here,” The woman patted her stomach again and grabbed a handful of fries from the basket in front of her. Katherine didn’t order any fries but she figured they were all for the barmaid anyway. She couldn’t really say no to Rose’s request to join her, especially considering her pregnancy.
“By all means, take a load off. You should probably make sure you take regular breaks. Your employer should be making appropriate changes to your working pattern due to your pregnancy,” Katherine replied.
“Ha! My employer is currently drinking with his buddies over there,” she gestured over her shoulder at a group of potbellied men in their sixties. “He don’t mind how many breaks I take, he probably wishes I would take more. It would get my fiancé off of his back about it,” she chuckled and stuffed another four fries in her small mouth.
Katherine smiled. She might have been a bit overly friendly considering they had just met, and she was technically a customer, but she liked the woman. She picked up her grilled cheese sandwich and took a huge bite. A moan escaped her lips as the salty cheese exploded across her tongue with a crunch.
“Oh God, that’s so good,” she mumbled to herself.
“Glad you like it. I added extra cheese on the outside. Because, you know, what does a grilled cheese lack if not more cheese?”
“It’s great, I haven’t had one in years,” Katherine said between mouthfuls.
“Well, I’ll gladly make you another when you head on back from wherever you’re going,” Rose smiled and took a long slurp of her soda.
“I may just take you up on that offer,” Katherine smiled.
“So, where you heading? You need directions? The roads around here aren’t often marked,” Rose offered.
“I think I’ll be OK, I have a route plotted on my phone. Tumbricane Manor doesn’t look like it's too far from here,” Katherine shrugged, taking another bite of her sandwich before picking up her coffee.
“Tumbricane?” Rose frowned, “What are you doing heading up there?”
“Gotta pick my dad up from some meeting,” Katherine had learned a long time ago not to go into too much detail about anything to do with her father’s dealings.
“Huh, that’s strange.”
“What’s strange?” Said a deep voice.
Katherine looked up to see a huge, dark-haired man sweep down and plant a firm kiss on Rose’s lips.
“Glad to see you taking a break for a change,” he said, swiping a french fry from the basket.
“I take breaks when I need to take breaks,” Rose replied swatting at his hand but grinning at him, her eyes sparkling. “This is the overprotective man in my life I was telling you about,” she turned and smiled at Katherine, “Cayden, this lady, oh, sorry, hon, I didn’t get your name?”
“Katherine,” she supplied, unsure why she was getting so familiar with these people.
“Katherine is heading up to Tumbricane. Isn’t that where Lucian lives?” Rose asked her fiance.
“It is,” the man confirmed, a serious frown taking over his face. Katherine didn’t like the look of it. “Why would you be heading up there?”
“I’m picking up my dad is all. He had some business there,” Katherine replied, trying not to let her nerves show. Clearly, Tumbricane wasn’t a place where people usually hung out. She inwardly cursed her father. What had he gotten himself into this time?
“I wasn’t aware Lucian had any guests right now,” Cayden frowned and looked out the window of the bar where the rain had picked up again and was pattering against the glass, “I can take you there if you like? I know the roads and the owner.”
The last thing she wanted was anyone else getting involved with her father’s mess, or thinking she had more to do with it than she did. She felt her stomach twist as the familiar dark cloud that was being her father’s daughter, loomed overhead.
“It’s fine,” Katherine waved her hand and took a long swig of her coffee, trying to appear unfazed, “I’ve got the directions and I promised that I’d be there by midnight so I should probably think about heading off.”
“It gets misty up in those hills too, there is a bridge over a chasm as you approach, it can be pretty unnerving when you first come across it.”
Cayden’s frown didn’t shift and Rose seemed to pick up on his tension, placing a hand on his arm.
“That’s good to know, thank you, I should be alright though. Besides,” Katherine added, “your lady here was complaining about her swollen ankles, I wouldn’t want to keep you two from getting home tonight.”
It was a low blow, but she needed the overly conscientious male’s attention shifted elsewhere.
“Rose, your feet are hurting? Why didn’t you say?” As if by magic, the man’s focus narrowed in on Rose and suddenly it was like Katherine wasn’t even in the room.
“I’m fine, honestly,” Rose sighed in frustration, shooting Katherine a look of betrayal over her fiance’s shoulder where he had knelt down to examine her.
Katherine cringed and mouthed an apology, before putting a twenty-dollar bill down on the table as payment. Rose rolled her eyes at her before her attention was captured by whatever it was her fiance was whispering in her ear. A blush swept across her freckled cheeks followed by a wicked grin that had Katherine thinking she had seen enough.
She climbed out of the booth and hurried out of the bar. Despite her
